Austin, TX
Crane flies are swarming just about everywhere in Austin
One of the earliest signs of spring is probably buzzing around your home.
In Texas, most people call them mosquito hawks. They are large insects that show up at the end of winter and seem impossible to keep from getting inside our homes.
Dr. Sonja Swiger is an entomologist at Texas A&M University. She says the actual name is crane fly.
“They are kind of the first insect to emerge, I would say, in large numbers coming out of winter,” said Swiger.
The crane flies live most of their lives in the larval stage, emerging as flying insects for only a few days as they look for a mate. Swiger says they aren’t a threat to humans or mosquitoes.
“They are harmless. They don’t have any mouth parts so unfortunately, they can’t eat our mosquitoes which would be cool if they did,” said Swiger.
The crane flies are valuable to the ecosystem of the soil. They tend to be found in moist areas where they spend the majority of their lives as larvae feeding on decaying organic matter.
Southeast Texas has experienced a mild, wet winter. That has allowed the crane flies to emerge in large numbers. Other insects will likely be close behind, including mosquitoes.
“Mosquitoes are kind of on the list. They going to start emerging generally in May is when we say mosquito season starts,” said Swiger. “When you have a mild winter that will move up a few weeks, so it could be like late March or April when we see mosquitoes become a problem.”
LEANDER, Texas — Someone is now a multimillionaire after purchasing a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket in Leander.
The Texas Lottery says the winning ticket was purchased at QuikTrip #4165 at 10742 E. Crystal Falls Parkway. It matched all six numbers drawn, 25-37-42-52-65 and Powerball 14.
The $20 million grand prize will be split with another winner in Florida. According to the Multi-State Lottery Association, the ticket sold in Texas is worth approximately $4.5 million before taxes.
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The Texas winner has not come forward to claim their prize; the Texas Lottery says that person has 180 days from the draw date to claim their winnings.
“Saturday delivered a major win for a Texas Lottery player and an exciting moment for our state,” said Courtney Arbour, executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which oversees the Texas Lottery. “We look forward to congratulating our second Powerball Grand Prize winner in the last eight months when they come forward to claim the prize. Wins like this show the full impact that well-run Texas Lottery games have on players, retailers and our beneficiaries – public education and veterans’ services – across the Lone Star State.”
William “Bill” B. Moriarty, of Austin, Texas, passed away on April 26, 2026, at the age of 73, following an extended battle with cancer. A devoted partner, father, brother, uncle, an…
WIMBERLY, Texas – The names of all five people killed in the Central Texas plane crash late Thursday night have been released.
Plane crash victim names
The latest:
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the names of the five victims in the Wimberly, Texas crash are as follows:
- Justin Appling (pilot)
- Hayden Dillard
- Seren Wilson
- Brooke Skypala
- Stacy Hedrick
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigators are on scene and serving as the lead investigative agencies, DPS said in their Saturday release.
What we don’t know:
The cause of the crash has yet to be determined.
Fatal Texas plane crash
The backstory:
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra says first responders received the call just after 11 p.m. April 30 about an aircraft down in the Wimberley area.
The crash happened in a wooded area in the 200 block of Round Rock Road, near the area of Ledgerock Road and FM 2325, northwest of Wimberley. The NTSB says the crash happened at around 11:03 p.m.
A post-impact fire destroyed the plane, says the NTSB.
According to FlightAware, the plane was on its way to New Braunfels from Amarillo.
The aircraft has been identified as a Cessna 421C that had five people on board. All five are confirmed dead.
A preliminary investigation shows the plane was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash, but there is no indication of a mid-air crash. A second plane traveling in the same area landed safely in New Braunfels.
Flight tracking data shows the plane had a normal takeoff, climbing to 17,400 feet, but just before 11 p.m., something went wrong. The data showed the plane suddenly started dropped, plunging more than 5,000 feet per minute. Within minutes, radar contact was lost.
The Source: Information in this update comes from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
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